No matter how great Nadal was - I now really doubt whether he can make his comeback even closely successful compared to what he did before.
This is not mainly because of his age but more of the fact he was absent for such a long time. No matches, no competition, for many many weeks no training and last but not least, not being on the tour and perhaps having a life outside of that surely must change Nadals point of view somehow?

So my question is - as I am only medium familiar with tennis history:What was the greatest comeback by any tennis player after being absent for more than 6 months?
This means no matches at all, not just skipping the grand slams or dropping out of the rankings!

No matter how great Nadal was - I now really doubt whether he can make his comeback even closely successful compared to what he did before.
This is not mainly because of his age but more of the fact he was absent for such a long time. No matches, no competition, for many many weeks no training and last but not least, not being on the tour and perhaps having a life outside of that surely must change Nadals point of view somehow?

So my question is - as I am only medium familiar with tennis history:What was the greatest comeback by any tennis player after being absent for more than 6 months?
This means no matches at all, not just skipping the grand slams or dropping out of the rankings!

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do you mean biggest comeback considering long-term playing or the first tournament played ?

It doesn't matter, because few players in history can compare to Nadal (what other players have won the career grand slam at the age of 24 in the open era, and in the same year winning slams on clay, grass and hard-court?). I wouldn't be surprised if Nadal took an 8-month absence and had the best year of his career. And Nadal can make a great start by winning Acapulco (which he did in 2005).

It doesn't matter, because few players in history can compare to Nadal (what other players have won the career grand slam at the age of 24 in the open era, and in the same year winning slams on clay, grass and hard-court?). I wouldn't be surprised if Nadal took an 8-month absence and had the best year of his career. And Nadal can make a great start by winning Acapulco (which he did in 2005).

I'm going with Kim Clijsters. Retired, had a baby, decided to come back two years later. In her third tournament of her comeback she won the US Open unseeded, eventually made it back to #1 in the world.

I'm going with Kim Clijsters. Retired, had a baby, decided to come back two years later. In her third tournament of her comeback she won the US Open unseeded, eventually made it back to #1 in the world.

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^^^^^
This is the winner...

But the WTA has had several comebacks after 6+ month lapses. Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati are comparable examples. Both of the Williams sisters have had comebacks after long layoffs. Goolagong came back after she had her baby.

As for the ATP tour, vive le beau jeu ! provided a pretty comprehensive list of the men's comeback players from the past 30 years. What is interesting is that I believe that only Agassi, Krajicek, and Muster ended up winning any Slams after such extended breaks, and those Slam wins took some time to pull of. Most of the other guys just seemed to lose some steam after being away so long. I believe Delpo has another Slam in him, but notice how long it's taken him to get back to the level where he's competitive. As great as Nadal is, I don't see him contending right away, and we'll see if he has the same heart to fight that has separated him in the past.

Another interesting note is about Muster's knee injury. He was hit by a drunk driver, and his leg was crushed under the bumper of a car. Both his ACL and MCL ligaments were severed, and had such massive abrasions down the length of his leg, he had to be hospitalized for fear of infection. He wore a cast that extended from his ankle to the top of his thigh for 3 months. This video shows some of the rehabilitation Muster did in order to come back:

Muster's injury occurred on April 1st, 1989. His first comeback match on the ATP tour was on September 19th, 1989, which he won. That represents a 170 day break between matches, and less than 6 months. In contrast, Nadal's injury seems to be much less severe (with surgery to help repair a tear - not a rupture - on the patellor tendon)... yet, Nadal has been off the tour for 184 days now, and isn't scheduled to play again for at least another 57 days. This makes me think that there is more to Nadal's absence than just knee pain. I'm not talking about a "silent ban" but more likely a lack of passion to get back on tour. Muster was hitting balls from a wheel chair, but all the pictures I've seen of Nadal so far show him lounging on a boat, getting a tan, and fishing. I think the guy is burned out, and is not in a rush to get back. Unlike Muster, who was cut down just after breaking into the top 10, Nadal doesn't have anything to prove - which does not bode well for a return to top form.

Thomas Muster spent a few weeks after the 1st April 1989 in despair, thinking his career was either over or would never be the same again. His coach, Ronnie Leitgeb, had a specially designed chair made for him, and convinced Thomas to get back on court hitting balls using the chair, and that he'd soon be back on the tour giving everything he's got. Muster was convinced, and threw everything into his rehabilitation and comeback. It's amazing what Muster was able to do from April 1989 to December 1990. He was fanatical about getting over the injury, hitting balls, getting fit, getting back on the tour, and then winning big clay tournaments, big Davis Cup matches etc.

Leitgeb once said of Muster "He's lazy, until you convince him to do something. Once you do, he is fanatical about doing it with 100% desire and enthusiasm."

As for the ATP tour, vive le beau jeu ! provided a pretty comprehensive list of the men's comeback players from the past 30 years. What is interesting is that I believe that only Agassi, Krajicek, and Muster ended up winning any Slams after such extended breaks, and those Slam wins took some time to pull of. Most of the other guys just seemed to lose some steam after being away so long. I believe Delpo has another Slam in him, but notice how long it's taken him to get back to the level where he's competitive.

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cash also won a slam after his extended break, which occured early in his career (even younger than del potro or muster).

i edited my post and added the most significant performances in the main events for these players.

No matter how great Nadal was - I now really doubt whether he can make his comeback even closely successful compared to what he did before.
This is not mainly because of his age but more of the fact he was absent for such a long time. No matches, no competition, for many many weeks no training and last but not least, not being on the tour and perhaps having a life outside of that surely must change Nadals point of view somehow?

So my question is - as I am only medium familiar with tennis history:What was the greatest comeback by any tennis player after being absent for more than 6 months?
This means no matches at all, not just skipping the grand slams or dropping out of the rankings!

Click to expand...

I think the greatest comeback was that of Pancho Gonzalez who had a pause of two years and came back as No.3 player.

1. agassi was out for 5 months in 93-94 with wrist surgery and did well after that
2. connors was out for over 1 year with wrist problems and surgery in 1990 and came back successfully but it was age that caught up with him not his injury or lack of play.

There are 2 differences between Nadal and other players who have come back from long term lay offs:

1) Nadal is an 11 time Grand Slam Champion at the age of 26
2) Despite being absent for 8 months Nadal will still be ranked number 5 when he comes back so will retain favourable draws through his seeding: He will likely be seeded top 4 at Wimbledon

Form is temporary: Class is permanent and by any measure Nadal would have to be ranked in the top 5 players of the past 30 years. If he retains his determination and desire his comeback will be successful.

There are 2 differences between Nadal and other players who have come back from long term lay offs:

1) Nadal is an 11 time Grand Slam Champion at the age of 26
2) Despite being absent for 8 months Nadal will still be ranked number 5 when he comes back so will retain favourable draws through his seeding: He will likely be seeded top 4 at Wimbledon

Form is temporary: Class is permanent and by any measure Nadal would have to be ranked in the top 5 players of the past 30 years. If he retains his determination and desire his comeback will be successful.

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First, John McEnroe was 27 and a 7 time Slam champion when he voluntarily left the game for 6 months, so this kind of absence for a player of Nadal's talent level is not unprecedented. As we all know, McEnroe's rivals overtook him and he was never the same player again after the break. Taking 8 months off will be detrimental for Nadal, especially since this was due to a reoccurring injury.

Speaking of the injury, I'll go back to the point I made earlier in this thread. When Muster's ACL and MCL ligaments were severed in the accident with the drunk driver, he trained his butt off to recover - hitting balls from a wheel chair, and doing painful therapy just weeks after surgery. He made it back on tour and was winning matches within 170 days (5.5 months), but it still took about a year to fully get back to where he left off. Muster was extremely driven and had a chip on his shoulder to show that his talent couldn't be stolen by an accident.

From Nadal's actions so far, I don't see that same "determination and desire" that you spoke of in his comeback. His knee injury is a lot less severe than Muster's, yet Nadal is not tackling the recovery with the same passion. 184+ days is more than enough time for him to recover and train from the issue he supposedly has, and even a temporary stomach bug shouldn't have been enough to knock him out for an additional 2 months if he was really motivated.

Winning the French was a big deal for Nadal last year (setting the record and becoming the clay GOAT), and I don't think he has anything left to prove. I think he's burned out, and won't be able to get the mojo back to dominate like he used to. Besides, his rivals (Djokovic and Murray, primarily) have gotten better, Federer is still hanging around, and there will be additional champs (Tsonga and Berdych, anyone?) nipping at his heels when he gets back on the court. Nobody is going to feel sorry for Nadal when he returns, and they will all be gunning for him while he's down, with their own chances to make history.

If anyone is doubting that this is a mental break for Nadal more than an injury issue, pictures speak louder than words...

Muster, less than two months after his catastrophic knee injury:

Nadal, less than two weeks (seriously, on July 8th of this year!) after his knee "injury":

Quite the contrast... :roll:

And finally, Nadal's ranking is in serious jeopardy. By missing the Australian and Doha, he'll drop to 5400 points which would put him at #5 right now. However, Berdych, Del Potro, and Tsonga could all pass him by March if they perform well. Then, Nadal has semifinal points at both Indian Wells and Miami to defend (720 total), not to mention 4,090 points to retain in the clay season. If he doesn't come back winning right away (which I think he won't), he could possibly be outside the top 10 by Wimbledon. This is going to be an uphill struggle all the way.

Tommy Haas is a player who has twice had more than 12 months off due to injury, was never able to win a Grand Slam tournament, and never got to number 1. His highest career ranking was in 2002. In 2012, at age 34 and 10 years past his peak as a player he was able to get back to number 21 in the world. His record is decidedly modest in comparison to Nadal. It suggests that as a much younger man, and a vastly superior player coming off a shorter lay off, Nadal should be able to get back to the very top. Knee and desire permitting.

just to summarise - no matter how great nadal was, it would be already a great surprise and almost a miracle if nadal won more than one slam.
I'm not saying he can't but I'm saying he probably won't and with each day he's away it is getting harder and harder to come back.

Why do some people think Agassi stopped playing tennis during his 1997-meth year?

He did not stop playing tennis at all, he played the whole year of 1997 (he played 14 tournaments + Davis Cup that year).

The only time when Agassi really stop playing tennis for some months (from 24-9-1993 to 21-2-1994, almost 5 months) it was because of a wrist surgery.

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14 tournaments is not that much. And he took at least a full month off during the season, according to his own book. BG told him either to get back in shape or just to call it a day, so he spent a month retraining and building back his strength and stamina before starting over on the challenger circuit.

14 tournaments is not that much. And he took at least a full month off during the season, according to his own book. BG told him either to get back in shape or just to call it a day, so he spent a month retraining and building back his strength and stamina before starting over on the challenger circuit.

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One month or even two months not playing any tournament is not that much. Most players have had periods like that.

I've read some people writting here (not in this thread) that Agassi stopped playing tennis for 2 or 3 years and that is why he was so strong later on. That (and many other things) only makes you realize that many people that write here didn't even follow tennis 10+ years ago.

As I said, Agassi's real break from playing tennis was a 5 month period after his wrist surgery at the end of 1993, and he came back really strong (from 1994 Canadian Open to 1995 US OPEN was his best 13 months of tennis of his whole career).

Nadal's around 8 months absence is starting to look a bit too much. We will see soon if he can make a good come back or not ( I personally think Nadal won't win another GS except for maybe another RG).

No matter how great Nadal was - I now really doubt whether he can make his comeback even closely successful compared to what he did before.
This is not mainly because of his age but more of the fact he was absent for such a long time. No matches, no competition, for many many weeks no training and last but not least, not being on the tour and perhaps having a life outside of that surely must change Nadals point of view somehow?

So my question is - as I am only medium familiar with tennis history:What was the greatest comeback by any tennis player after being absent for more than 6 months?
This means no matches at all, not just skipping the grand slams or dropping out of the rankings!

Wouldn't it be Agassi? Wasn't he out for six months at some point, and then he packed in all those Slams in the latter half of his career.

Serena's been out for months at a time several times, but was it ever six months? I remember her coming into 2008 or 2009 AO really out of shape and having been out for a while and winning and then regrouping and winning more Slams in the ensuing years. But, I don't think she was off for six months.

Seles of course, was out from Spring of 1993 to the summer of 1995 after the horrific stabbing, and came back and immediately won a Tier 1 and made the USO final, then won the 1996 AO, and also made the 1996 USO and 1998 FO finals, and also had a lot of other "good" Slam performances (QFs or better) thereafter, though she obviously never returned to pre-stabbing form.

Wouldn't it be Agassi? Wasn't he out for six months at some point, and then he packed in all those Slams in the latter half of his career.

Serena's been out for months at a time several times, but was it ever six months? I remember her coming into 2008 or 2009 AO really out of shape and having been out for a while and winning and then regrouping and winning more Slams in the ensuing years. But, I don't think she was off for six months.

Seles of course, was out from Spring of 1993 to the summer of 1995 after the horrific stabbing, and came back and immediately won a Tier 1 and made the USO final, then won the 1996 AO, and also made the 1996 USO and 1998 FO finals, and also had a lot of other "good" Slam performances (QFs or better) thereafter, though she obviously never returned to pre-stabbing form.

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Serena Williams has been off the tour for 6 months or more three times, and made comebacks.

First, after winning Wimbledon in 2003, she injured her knee in practice and required surgery, causing her to miss the remainder of the year. During this absence, her sister Yetunde was murdered, which was an emotional hurdle as well. Williams didn't return to the tour until the end of March, 2004, where she won the Miami tournament. She was out for 8 months total.

Second, Williams was off the tour from mid-January to mid-July 2006 as well (a 6 month layoff) due to reoccurring knee and back injuries, related to the issues she had in 2003 that caused the first surgery.

Third, Serena was out of competition from July 2010 until mid-June 2011, almost a full year. She injured her foot in a bizarre accident at a restaurant after Wimbledon where she lacerated a tendon stepping on a broken wine glass, which required surgery and caused her to miss the rest of the year. Then, while still recovering from surgery, she ended up having a pulmonary embolism in her lung in March of 2011. She didn't return to the tour until the Eastbourne tournament, as a warm-up for the 2011 Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion. She ended up losing that year to Bartoli in the round of 16. However, as we all know, she went on to make the US Open final later that summer, and then won both Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

As you pointed out, Serena has also had shorter absences from tour due to other injuries and motivational issues. I'm not a fan of hers, but I have to respect the resiliency with these comebacks. Nobody on the men's tour has ever been able to do what she's done in this regard.

Tommy Haas is a player who has twice had more than 12 months off due to injury, was never able to win a Grand Slam tournament, and never got to number 1. His highest career ranking was in 2002. In 2012, at age 34 and 10 years past his peak as a player he was able to get back to number 21 in the world. His record is decidedly modest in comparison to Nadal. It suggests that as a much younger man, and a vastly superior player coming off a shorter lay off, Nadal should be able to get back to the very top. Knee and desire permitting.